Volvo Group Signs Academic Preferred Partner Agreement with The Pennsylvania State University

Volvo Group North America recently renewed its Academic Preferred Partner agreement with The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) for another three-year term. The program provides Penn State students with co-op, internship and mentoring opportunities and offers talent recruitment and research benefits to the Volvo Group.

“We are pleased to partner with Penn State University, which offers multiple technical and supply chain programs to its students – programs which ultimately align with the needs of the Volvo Group as we look to hire top talent within our company,” said Hope Rush, Volvo Group North America director of talent strategy. “We look forward to our continued partnership with the university and its students.”

The Volvo Group benefits from Penn State’s significant research capabilities that target specific focus areas, including diesel combustion and efficiency, alternative fuels, intelligent transportation systems and vehicle-driver safety systems. The university’s geographic location is also an ideal fit, with three major Volvo Group manufacturing facilities – Mack Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, Volvo Construction Equipment in Shippensburg Pennsylvania and Volvo Group Powertrain in Hagerstown, Maryland – located within a two-hour drive of the University Park campus.

“Volvo is one of the world’s iconic companies and one of Penn State’s most esteemed corporate partners,” said Penn State President Eric Barron. “Our continued relationship will benefit Volvo, the students and faculty at Penn State, the trucking and heavy equipment industries, and countless others in the years to come.”

Since the Volvo Group first named Penn State an Academic Preferred Partner in 2010, the relationship has enhanced Penn State’s research and teaching capacity, and benefited students across the University. Volvo supports faculty fellowships in mechanical engineering and scholarships in engineering and business. The company serves as a sponsor of the Learning Factory within the College of Engineering and has donated vehicles for research within the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute. Together, Volvo has provided more than $350,000 in philanthropy and $1.4 million in research contracts.

The partnership has also driven Volvo’s recruitment of Penn State graduates. Today, the company employs nearly 200 Penn State alumni.

Academic standing, student diversity, international connections and the university’s research department are considerations Volvo takes into account when determining which university will be an Academic Preferred Partner.

The Volvo Group currently maintains Academic Preferred Partner agreements with eleven other universities around the globe – Chalmers University of Technology, University of Skovde, School of Business, Gothenburg University, Malardalen University Gothenburg, Sweden; EM Lyon and INSA Lyon, France; Tsinghua University and Tongji University, China; Sophia University, Japan; and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.


Volvo Group North America recently signed an Academic Preferred Partner agreement with The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State). Pictured from left to right: Dr. Robert Orndorff, senior director, Penn State Career Services; Dr. Neil Sharkey, vice president for research, Penn State; Dr. Eric Barron, president, Penn State; Hope Rush, Volvo Group North America director of talent strategy; and Monica Ringvik, Volvo Group director of research and innovation policy.

The Volvo Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 100,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2015, the Volvo Group’s sales amounted to about $37 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com or www.volvogroup.mobi if you are using your mobile phone.

April 4, 2016